Treasury Issues Ruling On New Markets Tax Credit

Washington (Jan. 27, 2003) -- The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued a Revenue Ruling regarding the new markets tax credit (NMTC).The NMTC provides a tax credit to investors who make "qualified equity investments" in privately-managed investment vehicles called "community development entities," or "CDEs." The CDEs are required to invest substantially all of the proceeds of the qualified equity investments in low-income communities, according to the Treasury Department.

The Revenue Ruling clarifies that a partnership may finance the purchase of a qualified equity investment eligible for the NMTC with proceeds of nonrecourse debt of the partnership, the department further said.

The NMTC is designed to encourage investment in low-income communities.